CONCORD – Heartbreak hung over Merrimack Valley on Tuesday night after the Pride allowed buzzer beaters at the end of regulation and overtime to fall to Pelham, one of the top teams in Division II. On Friday night, in spite of not turning in a stellar performance, the Pride (9-5) responded with a 58-46 win over Bishop Brady (4-9), snapping a three-game losing streak.

Like usual, MV’s full-court press established itself early, disrupting the Giants’ ability to move the ball up the floor; Brady turned the ball over 23 times in the game.

But even with all of those extra possessions, MV head coach Tim Mucher thought his team could’ve done more offensively.

“I don’t think we capitalized on a whole bunch of them tonight,” he said referring to the takeaways. “We did just enough to win the game and survive, and I know the kids know they didn’t put their best foot forward with the intensity the way it was the other night versus Pelham.”

After that high-stakes matchup with the Pythons, Mucher feared a hangover effect carrying over into Friday. His fears weren’t totally unwarranted based on his team’s performance. 

“I thought we played well in stretches tonight,” he said. “But I think Bishop Brady played a little harder than us.”

MV’s Buddy Eddy led the charge for the Pride offensively with 19 points, including eight in the first quarter. On the other side, Bishop Brady’s Cade Weaver led the Giants with 14 points.

For Bishop Brady, it was another tough performance; one that showed some of the team’s promise but also one that served as a reminder of the work the Giants still need to do to beat teams at the top of the division.

“We let that press beat us up a little bit,” Brady head coach Brendan Johnson said. “Two of the three times we’ve played them, we’ve had 20+ turnovers. It’s tough to win games when you turn the ball over like that.”

The Pride’s press creates several challenges for opponents. Mainly, the team does an excellent job trapping players who catch inbounds passes in the corner; and, when opponents try long heaves down the court, MV’s defenders recover quickly.

On Friday night, MV’s press stifled Bishop Brady yet again, and as the Giants look ahead to the final five games of their regular season, the focus remains on laying the foundation for the future.

“Just getting better everyday, trying to buy into the culture we’re trying to build, the offense and defense we’ve installed,” Johnson said of the team’s goals the rest of way. “We’ve hung around with some of these teams, and then in the fourth quarter we just fall off or we start turning the ball over. We just have to learn how to clean up our mistakes.”

While Brady sets its sights on figuring out how to close out wins, MV hopes to use the next week to recuperate before its next game on Friday against Oyster River.

At this point in the season, every team has players dealing with injuries or general fatigue. The upcoming break allows MV to rest up for the home stretch, as the Pride continue their quest for the playoffs.

“We’re just looking to finish strong and take one game at a time,” Mucher said. “We have high expectations for ourselves and program, and hopefully we can fulfill that.”

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